


Needles in a Haystack

by delectum



Series: Rebel Zuko [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Rebel Zuko, Team Bonding, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, zukos recruitment crew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26940007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delectum/pseuds/delectum
Summary: The Avatar heads north while Zuko attempts to find Aang an Earthbending teacher. Toph is just glad to be along for the ride.
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Jee & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko, Zuko & Zuko's Crew (Avatar)
Series: Rebel Zuko [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859887
Comments: 39
Kudos: 629





	Needles in a Haystack

It was funny how one decision could change the course of history, Zuko mused to himself as he watched the Avatar and his companions fly away on the bison.

Two weeks had passed since he had made the decision to rescue Aang from Pohuai Stronghold, and consequently changed the direction of the war. The crew had quickly accommodated their unexpected guests, eagerly making new vegetarian dishes with Katara and teaching Sokka how to fight with a sword. Zuko and Iroh had taken the opportunity they were given to teach Aang the basics of firebending while they travelled North, getting up early to meditate and practice breathing. 

It was an easy routine and he knew that the Avatar’s group also enjoyed the accommodations now that they didn’t have to hunt for their own food or camp out in the cold with their sleeping bags.

Eventually, it was time for Aang to fly the rest of the way North on his own and for the  _ Wani  _ to go it’s separate way. 

The ship seemed oddly quiet after they departed, and Zuko felt slightly disappointed that he didn’t have someone around that was his own age anymore before he pushed the thought away. They had more important things to focus on right now and it wasn’t like this would be the last time he would see Aang, Sokka, and Katara. They would meet after the Avatar learned waterbending, just like they had planned. 

“To Ba Sing Se it is then,” Iroh sighed, joining his nephew by the hull of the deck. They both watched the bison until it was merely a speck in the distance, and even when it disappeared completely from view. “I feel a renewed hope after seeing the Avatar, don’t you, nephew?”

Zuko simply hummed in response and leaned against the railing on crossed arms, resting his head on top. 

Iroh looked over when he didn’t get a response, chuckling and patting his nephew on the back. “You’ll see them again soon, Zuko. Your destinies are intertwined now.”

Reluctantly, the teenager peeled himself off the hull of the ship and straightened. “You’re right,” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We should focus for now on convincing Kuei to join the Order and finding Aang an earthbending teacher. How is that going anyways?”

“Very terribly,” Iroh stroked his beard as he followed his nephew below deck, smiling at the crew when he saw them rushing about their afternoon duties. “Kuei is more stubborn than a lion-mule. It’s very hard to convince him to join the Order when he doesn’t even believe there is a war. It would put Ba Sing Se in a very vulnerable position if there was an attack.”

“Yeah, I can see why that would be a problem,” Zuko entered his room and sat down at his desk, pulling out a large map and spreading it across the table. They had turned a bit off course to get Aang as close to the north as possible, but it was still pretty easy to adjust their path. There were always parts of the Earth Kingdom that needed help. “We’re close to Gaoling now, it might be wise to check out the Earthbending Academy while we’re there.”

Iroh nodded. “Yes, I’ll inform Helmsman Kyo about our plans. That seems like a reasonable course of action.”

Hopefully they would have better luck in Gaoling. 

  
  
  
  
  


They did not have better luck in Gaoling. 

The week-long journey was a complete waste of time when they found out that Master Yu’s earthbending academy was nothing more than a money laundering scheme from a greedy and selfish man to scam young citizens. Zuko turned away from the man in disgust and resisted the urge to set something on fire. 

“ _ If you pay for the whole year in advance, I'll bump you up to the next belt!” _

“What a joke,” Zuko growled, pulling his hood over his hair to hide his face. Master Piando nor any of his previous firebending instructors would ever have dared to compromise a student's learning just for a few extra coins. In fact, his father would have most likely executed them himself. 

As he made his way back to the ship, He caught sight of a pretty girl standing behind a cart full of bagged tea leaves, the aromatic smell easily recognizable amongst the other variety of scents. Zuko made his way over and studied the stand, brightening when he caught sight of a bag of pearl oolong. “How much is this?” He asked, handing over the money when she told him the price. 

She said something else but Zuko didn’t respond, focused on a more interesting conversation happening down the street. “Excuse me,” He told her absentmindedly, moving away to the two kids who were chatting loudly outside of a restaurant. 

“Hey!” He called out, watching with a slight hint of amusement when they paled at the sight of his two swords and the scar over his eye. “Where exactly is this earthbending tournament you two were talking about?”

The two boys exchanged a terrified glance and didn’t hesitate to tell him where to find it. 

Later on, Zuko dropped the tea off with his uncle (“ _ Pearl oolong! I’ve been looking everywhere for this!” _ ) and managed to convince Jee to come with him to the tournament. 

“We’re only going to scout for powerful benders that can teach Aang,” Zuko coaxed an unresponsive Jee. The man continued to adjust the pressure pipes without even looking up. “We’ll be back within an hour.”

No response. 

“Unless you rather I go alone,” and that made Jee finally look up and growl threateningly. 

“ _ Only _ an hour. And no unnecessary detours.”

Zuko grinned, glad that he had some company with him. He didn’t want to admit it but having Aang and the others with him on the ship had reminded him of how good it felt to do things with other people as opposed to going at it alone. “You have my word.”

They waited until after dinner to head out, by which time Kyo and Taka had found out about the trip and also demanded to come with. Zuko sighed and reluctantly agreed. 

The four of them snuck into the tournament and found a shadowed corner towards the top of the stands, opting to avoid the front row seats which were mostly empty aside from a few brave souls that were either really courageous or just plain stupid. 

“Welcome to Earth Rumble VI! I am your host, Xin Fu! The rules are simple. Just knock the other guy out of the ring, and you win! Round one: The Boulder vs. The Big Bad Hippo!”

“Those are terrible names,” Kyo complained, but still leaned over Zuko’s shoulder to get a better look. 

They watched in a mix of morbid horror and fascination as the Hippo caught a piece of rock with his mouth, chewed on it and spit it out. 

“ _ Agni _ , did he just  _ eat _ a rock- oh god there he goes.”

The Hippo flew out of the ring and crashed against the bottom row of the stands, dazed and disoriented but otherwise looking fine. 

“The Boulder wins!”

Jee turned away with a grimace, clear distaste on his face for his surroundings, and perched on his chair like it was covered in saber-bear slobber. “Don’t suppose the Avatar would like the Boulder to teach him? He seems like a powerful bender.”

“I don’t think he’d be able to stand all that third person,” Zuko responded, watching in horror as a man creatively dubbed ‘Fire Nation Man’ came up on the stage. 

“That’s a terrible costume,” Taka grimaced, wincing even harder when the man began to gratingly ‘sing’ the Fire Nation anthem in a terrible accent.

Kyo covered his ears with his hands and turned to them with a grin, “Hey, one of you guys should set his robes on fire, that would be hilariously ironic.”

Zuko actually considered it for a long few minutes, but it seemed their problem was already taken care of. They watched with a sympathetic wince as the man went flying over the stands only seconds after the match had begun, yet another opponent taken down by the Boulder. 

“Now, the moment you've all been waiting for!” Xin Fu announced, one hand waving emphatically over the crowd, “The Boulder versus your champion ... the Blind Bandit!

Kyo leaned forward in his seat as a little girl came up on the platform, the prize belt tied over her waist comically large around her small frame. “She can't really be blind. It's just part of her character, right?”

“The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young blind girl,” they heard, answering the question they all seemed to have. 

The Bandit pointed at the older man mockingly, “Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder!”

“The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings and now he's ready to bury you in a rock-alanche!”

The girl threw her head back and laughed, “Whenever you're ready, The Pebble!” 

Zuko grinned when he heard her confidence, somehow knowing deep within him that it was backed up with skill. He liked this girl, whoever she was, and it was clear she was powerful too. 

She more than proved it when she defeated the Boulder with ease, clearly comfortable with her element despite her disabilities. Kyo and Taka cheered when she got another hit on the larger man, which caused Jee to shush them angrily. “Stop cheering, you're putting attention on us.”

“Are you kidding? This is great. Just look at her!” 

Jee rolled his eyes, although he too couldn’t help but be drawn to the fight. It was over almost disappointingly quick, and the Blind Bandit won to no one's surprise. 

“She’s the one,” Zuko couldn’t help but say in grudging admiration, watching as the crowd cheered for the reigning champion. “We should go talk to her.”

“And tell her what?” Kyo complained as he was ushered out of the arena, clearly disappointed that his fun was cut short. “That we know the Avatar and that he needs an earthbending teacher?”

Zuko shrugged. “I don’t see why not. It wouldn’t hurt to ask so we know if she’s open to the idea or not. And at least she'll be prepared when Aang actually gets back from the Northern Water Tribe.”

Kyo groaned but reluctantly followed his crew as they stood around to wait for her to exit the arena. No one came out dressed like the Blind Bandit, but one girl did exit wearing a white dress. It was smudged with dirt in some places, standing out clearly against the stark white of her dress. “Wait, I think that’s her.”

“Come on,” Zuko broke through the crowd and followed behind her at a slight distance for a few miles until they saw her sneaking over the fence of an expensive looking manor. 

“That’s the Beifong House,” Jee whispered, studying the flying boar that had been branded into the iron-wrought fence. “But I thought they didn’t have a daughter?”

Zuko didn’t respond, circling around the house until he spotted a particularly shady patch of fencing and beginning to climb. 

“ _ What are you doing?” _ Jee demanded, reaching out to grab onto the teenagers foot and wrapping a hand around his ankle to hold him in place. 

“Getting inside,” Zuko replied drily, wiggling his foot to shake off the lieutenant's grasp. 

Kyo glared at him and crossed his arms, “What, you’re breaking in? What if you get caught?”

They all knew what would happen if he got caught. He’d be turned into the local authorities who would then turn him over to the Fire Nation who would then have him executed. 

No big deal. 

“Look, I’ll be fine. I just want to talk to her,” Zuko continued climbing over the fence, scaling the length easily. He called out over his shoulder, “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”

He could hear Kyo and Taka groaning and cursing in frustration behind him and could practically  _ see  _ the way Jee would be rubbing at his temples like he had the world's greatest headache. 

Zuko hid behind a bush as a guard patrolled the grounds, doing a very lazy job. The guard belched and gave a cursory gaze over the gardens before turning and disappearing to another part of the gardens. He let out a quick sigh of relief only to startle when he heard a voice behind him. 

“Who are you and how did you get in?” He turned to see the girl from the tournament, dressed in delicate white silks and hair pulled back in an elegant updo. “Are you here to rob us? Because I’m warning you. I’ll yell for the guards.”

_ How did she even know where I was…? _

“Wait, I’m not here to hurt you, I promise,” Zuko scrambled to his feet, reluctant to be so vulnerably close to the ground when one of the strongest earthbenders he knew was right in front of him. “I know you're the Blind Bandit.”

Instantly, her demure attitude slipped away and her eyes narrowed, similar to what she had looked like in the arena when she was facing down opponents twice her size. “Oh yeah? Well what’s it to you?”

“I know this sounds crazy,” Zuko said, carefully watching her for signs she might retaliate or yell for help, “But I know the Avatar and he’s looking for an earthbending teacher.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“Well, uh, it’s clear that you’re the most competent earth bender in Gaoling,” Zuko said, deciding to stroke the girl's ego. She seemed like the type to be swayed with a little praise. It worked a little too well because she bristled at the words and stood up straighter to a whopping total height of four feet zero. “In  _ Gaoling _ ? I'm the best earth bender in the  _ world _ !”

Zuko didn’t doubt it one bit. “Right. That’s why I was wondering if you’d be open to teaching him. He’s at the North learning waterbending now but he needs to learn earth soon and-“

“I’ll do it.”

He blinked at her for a long moment, certain he had misheard, “I’m sorry,  _ what _ ?”

She picked at something from underneath her nails, and when she couldn’t get whatever it was out with her fingers, used her teeth. “I said I’ll teach him earthbending. The Avatar’s teachers are the best benders in their nation, right? So it looks like you guys will need me for the job.”

“Well, yeah, but it’s just that… you agreed far quicker than I expected,” Zuko said suspiciously. 

She laughed out loud when she sensed his surprise and said, “Are you kidding? My parents think I’m some kind of damsel in distress just because I was born blind. This will totally prove them wrong!” 

Well, then. 

“And I had a whole speech planned too…” Zuko muttered to himself, at a loss now that he had exhausted his preplanned words and she had decided to go off the script that he had made up in his head. He turned to her awkwardly, unsure what to say. “Aang said he should get back from the North in a week or two but when he gets back, I’ll send him your way.”

“Great!” The girl had a wide grin on her face, looking actually excited for the first time since he had seen her. She stopped him when he turned to leave by calling out, “Hey. You never told me your name, Sunshine!”

Zuko turned and raised an incredulous eyebrow in her direction even though he knew she couldn’t see it. “ _ Sunshine?” _

She shrugged. “You’re warm and I don’t really have anything else to call you.”

_ Ah, that makes sense. Well that would be the firebending.  _

“My name is Zuko.”

She seemed to consider that for a second before shaking her head. “Nah, I like Sunshine better. I’m Toph.”

The name suited her. 

Zuko turned to climb the fence, stopping at the foot of the gate and turning to her to say, “By the way Toph, I saw you up on the platform at the tournament tonight. You were pretty badass.”

She blushed at the compliment and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She probably wasn't used to getting complimented on her bending, he mused, most likely exposed to trash talk as opposed to praise. “Whatever, Sunshine,” She muttered like she couldn’t care less but the blush was still on her face. 

Zuko carefully scaled the fence and dropped down lightly on the other side. Jee peeled himself away from the shadows when he saw him, a scowl off stern displeasure fixed on his face. “Well?” He demanded when Zuko was close enough. “What did she say?”

“She agreed,” Zuko told him, looking around when he found his surroundings a little _ too  _ quiet. “Where are Kyo and Taka?”

Jee scowled again, so deeply that Zuko wanted to tell him not to make faces or it would permanently stick like that. “They got bored and went off into the market. Told me they needed to buy dinner but I bet that’s just a load of Komodo-dragon crap.”

Sure enough, when they managed to track the two down, they were definitely  _ not  _ in a farmers market buying the crew dinner out of the goodness of their hearts. 

“Put that down,” Zuko snarled, grabbing Taka by the collar and pulling him away from the knife he had been admiring. 

“Ow, ow,  _ ow  _ Captain, we were just looking-!”

“Have you all forgotten there's a bounty on your head? At least cover your face or wear a hood!” Jee yelled, slapping both Taka and Kyo upside the head. He paused and then reached over to smack Zuko too, for good measure. 

“Ow, what was that for?” 

“That was for being a dumbass! What in Agni’s name were you thinking breaking into the Beifong residence?”

Zuko rubbed at his head petulantly and scowled at the lieutenant. “I got her to agree, didn’t I? Besides, it’s not like I was going to get caught or anything, those guards were terrible.”

Jee grit his teeth. “That is  _ not _ the point-  _ Taka, put that down!” _

With a sheepish smile, Taka put down the dagger he had gone back to admire while the two captains had been arguing. “Sorry, boss.”

Zuko rubbed at his temples and willed down the headache he could feel right beneath his eyes. He really needed a nap. “Just buy the infernal damned thing if you love it so much and let’s head back to the ship.”

Taka eagerly handed over the money to the merchant in exchange for the knife, who was looking at them with a vaguely horrified expression on his face. Zuko gave the man a smile although he was certain it was more a grimace at that point. 

Agni, he  _ really _ needed a nap. 

**Author's Note:**

> I think the main reason that Toph didn't want to teach Aang in canon was that Aang beat her in the earth rumble and took her championship title which she saw as an insult to her skills. Since that didn’t happen in this au she’s really eager to teach Aang and show off her earthbending skills.


End file.
